


Don't Set Me Free

by reason_says



Category: Pro Wrestling NOAH
Genre: Chastity Device, Coronavirus, Infidelity, Kayfabe Compliant, Love in the Time of Coronavirus, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:00:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29814999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reason_says/pseuds/reason_says
Summary: There are worse ways to fill a month-long gap between shows, probably. Set in early 2020.
Relationships: HAYATA/Ogawa Yoshinari, HAYATA/YO-HEY | Fujita Youhei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Don't Set Me Free

He shouldn’t have answered the text. He especially shouldn’t have gone to see Yo-Hey, not under the circumstances. It wasn’t safe, an unreasonable risk he shouldn’t be taking - but maybe it was the risk that made him do it.

Nervous on his way over, nervous when he rang the buzzer, he didn’t relax once he was through the door. He took his mask off with his shoes and washed his hands before kissing Yo-Hey, every little precaution to forestall what felt inevitable.

But the kiss was normal, as if nothing had changed, as if Hayata and the world weren’t both wrapped up in chaos, and for a moment he allowed himself to relax. To be led to the couch when he would normally lead, to sit practically on top of Yo-Hey as they continued. A risk, but nearly a calculated one.

They probably shouldn’t be this close, at least for this long, but it was hard to break habits even now. Even with every precaution, it was too tempting to follow Yo-Hey’s whims wherever they led. To be pulled to events he’d rather avoid, to be given drinks he’d rather not drink on camera, to have a microphone forced into his hand when he’d rather be anywhere else. But this wasn’t anything like that; this was just between the two of them. For better or for worse.

Still, after all his efforts to keep the outside world from interfering, he almost jumped as Yo-Hey’s hand crept up his thigh. Quickly he laid his hand over it and turned it over, clasping their hands and squeezing gently in the hope that it would distract him. “Not right now,” he murmured against Yo-Hey’s mouth, and bit down lightly to provide an alternative.

After a while, longer than he’d expected, he could feel Yo-Hey trying to free his hand from where Hayata still held it. As if he hadn’t noticed, he let go and shifted until he could stand up.

“I’ll be right back, I just need a beer. One for you?”

“Absolutely! Help yourself to my fridge.” Yo-Hey didn’t sound deterred, and Hayata hoped it was true - or, at least, he hoped he hadn’t hurt his feelings. That he hadn’t been too obvious.

When he came back to distribute the beers - having brought more than one apiece, because why should he be stingy when he hadn’t bought it? - he sat down a few careful inches from Yo-Hey, who immediately shifted over until their thighs were pressed together. Nothing unusual, nothing he would have blinked at any other night, but a difficulty he didn’t need.

“Hey, let’s play.” He gestured at the TV to make his meaning plain, even as he failed to pull away. “That’s why you invited me over, right? I’ll let you choose first.”

Yo-Hey grumbled, but he was still grinning through his token protest, and as he booted up the game it was clear he thought he would be able to convince Hayata to change his mind and give in.

Hayata was determined to stand his ground, though. They’d already come too close to Yo-Hey finding out about the cage.

* * *

He hadn’t been sure about it, at first. But it was a test of his self-control, his ability to keep his hands to himself after he’d taken liberties during a tag match. Nothing serious, nothing anyone else would even have noticed, he was sure. But Ogawa had fixed him with a glare and told him not to try that again.

“Or what?” he had asked, unwisely, and at the end of February Ogawa showed him what.

“Are you serious?” He turned the device over in his hands, surprised at how lightweight it was, compared to its obvious purpose. Surprised, too, at how curious he was.

“If you can’t stop touching me, maybe you can stop touching yourself.” Ogawa’s mouth was resisting a grin, but even without this conversation Hayata would have known better than to try to provoke a full smile. Those appeared more often than he ever would have thought, but rarely when he expected them. It always left him eager for the next one, the next time Ogawa’s stern face would brighten into laughter - and gratified when he could be the cause.

“How long? Not… forever, right? I don’t want to do forever.”

That brought a chuckle, which was a start. “Not forever, no. I don’t want to give up seeing you like that. But a day or two, to test you.” Ogawa took it back, holding it casually in one hand as he continued. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll find some other way to stop you from groping me mid-match like you don’t care if your friends know.” The curious stress on the word _friends_ was almost chilling. He’d been subtle enough, despite what Ogawa clearly thought, but if Yo-Hey had noticed… Hayata couldn’t risk it again. Absolutely not. Ogawa was right, he had to learn to control himself.

So he said yes. With a quick text to let Tadasuke know he’d meet them soon, he pulled his pants down right there in the broom closet and let Ogawa fit the cage around his cock. It was a struggle, when Ogawa’s hands on him got him half-hard without even trying, but that, Ogawa pointed out, was why he needed this in the first place. They both laughed, recognizing how shaky that argument was, and with an active effort Hayata distracted himself until he was soft enough for Ogawa to lock the ring and pocket the key.

A day or two. He could do this for a day or two, easily.

But as it turned out, being physically prevented from touching himself only made him hyper-aware of how much he wanted to. Every time he got dressed, every time he went to the bathroom, he was all too aware of what he should be feeling and couldn’t. He wasn’t desperate, he told himself, and he could have lasted a few more days if he’d needed to - but he wasn’t about to tell that to Ogawa, who surely would have made him prove it.

After two days he buzzed Ogawa’s apartment and stood very still as the cage was unlocked and slipped off. It was nearly more than he could stand, Ogawa’s soft fingertips on his stomach holding him in place and distracting him all at once, and he was hard almost as soon as he had room to be, closing his eyes and tipping his head back against the wall. He shouldn’t ask, asking would mean he hadn’t learned anything, but Ogawa took pity on him.

“What do you want?” he asked, tilting Hayata’s head back down with a touch to the shaved hair behind his ear.

“Please,” he whispered before he meant to, and for once Ogawa didn’t make him clarify. His hand was on Hayata’s cock without another word spoken, stroking him as he moved close enough for Hayata to bury his face in the crook of Ogawa’s shoulder and try, with all his might, to keep his hands to himself.

It almost worked, too. But he clutched Ogawa’s arms as he came, panting roughly into the fabric of his shirt, and it wasn’t until he leaned back against the wall that he realized what he had done.

“Sorry,” he murmured as he composed himself, embarrassed, and Ogawa tilted his head.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I’m glad you tried, and you did a good job, but don’t worry. We’re not in public, so no one can get in trouble if you touch me. Here, you don’t have to control yourself unless I tell you.”

The unspoken promise that he _would_ tell him, at least sometimes, was more reassuring than it should have been.

“Do you want to try again, or are you sick of it already?” Ogawa grinned as if embarrassed, which Hayata knew he surely couldn’t be, but otherwise he wasn’t sure how to interpret that expression. Thinking about it distracted him from his answer. Sick of it? No. It was a strange challenge, but he couldn’t help but be curious.

“Not right away, but I wouldn’t mind doing it again. But… not right away,” he repeated, because he was still weak in the knees and if he couldn’t jerk off that night thinking of Ogawa’s hands on him he might go crazy.

“No problem, it can wait. Can you stay tonight, or is someone expecting you?”

He hadn’t told anyone he was coming to Tokyo. It was probably unwise to have come at all, with the increasing risk of the virus, but he knew how to be careful. And with some time between shows due to that same risk, he had enough time to hang out with Yo-Hey that they didn’t need to be together every day. So no, no one was expecting him, and he shook his head.

“I can stay. I didn’t pack to stay the night, though.”

“Hm, true.” Pursing his lips in thought, Ogawa shrugged. “You won’t be wearing much until tomorrow, it’s probably all right.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, no matter what it did to the mood. If Ogawa wanted to be cheesy, he could give as well as he got. “You’ll have to keep me warm, then.”

* * *

Hayata woke up to a series of increasingly garbled texts from Yo-Hey, who had evidently started drinking shortly after Hayata had turned his phone off. They started with an invitation to hang out, led to an invitation to hook up, and took a sharp turn into lists of insect anatomy before ending with a picture of Yo-Hey’s face pressed far too close to the camera. Hayata smiled. Yo-Hey might be erratic, but his tangents were charming. As long as he didn’t have to react to them on camera, Hayata loved the way his mind jumped from one topic to another, even if he could barely follow the trail. He tapped out a response, apologizing for falling asleep and offering to come over later without elaborating on where he would be in the meantime.

Just then the water in the bathroom turned off, and he realized the sound was what had woken him in the first place. Ogawa emerged with a towel around his hips, running his fingers through his drying hair, and Hayata dropped his phone.

After breakfast, as Hayata helped clean up, Ogawa raised the subject again.

“Now that it’s not ‘right away’ anymore, do you want to wear it again? Or take a longer break?”

For a moment Hayata considered saying yes, now that he had an example of what would be waiting for him at the end, but then he remembered. “I shouldn’t. I’m meeting Yo-Hey, and we’ll probably…” He trailed off with a vague gesture, but Ogawa nodded.

“That’s fine. Take your time. But I do want you to wear it again at some point.”

“I want to,” he admitted, still surprised at himself. “I’ll have to be careful. If you thought touching you in front of him was a risk, what is introducing this to our private lives?”

Ogawa laughed and clapped him on the back. “That’s up to you.”

When he got home, he stopped off long enough to change his clothes before texting Yo-Hey. No sense raising awkward questions. That afternoon they played video games and that night they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, Hayata holding Yo-Hey down until he admitted defeat, until he begged, and for the first time he wondered how far Yo-Hey would go for him. There weren’t many boundaries left, after so long together, but would Yo-Hey accept a cage as quickly as Hayata had? Restraint had never been his strong suit, though. Still, Hayata couldn’t quite put the idea out of his mind, drawing out Yo-Hey’s torment as long as possible until he was whining and squirming as Hayata finally pushed in, his eyes unfocused and his back arched as he strained against the grip Hayata had on his wrists.

Afterwards, exhausted, Yo-Hey rested his head on Hayata’s chest and reached up to play with his hair. Hayata swatted his hand away and held it instead, lacing their fingers together. He could feel their heartbeats, just out of sync.

“Do that again next time,” Yo-Hey suggested, and Hayata kissed his hand.

* * *

It was a few days before he felt the need to text Ogawa again, before he started to feel guilty for getting off without a partner. It was a strange feeling, and one he knew didn’t make sense - with Yo-Hey in another neighborhood and Ogawa in another prefecture, what else was he supposed to do? But the last week had proven that ‘nothing’ could be an answer to that question, and it almost felt wrong not to challenge himself like that as long as he had the opportunity.

The train was less crowded this time. It was easier to keep his distance, but also made him wonder if it was a good idea to make such a clearly nonessential journey. The company would find ways to fill their time and get them paid, they’d promised, but traveling just to hook up? But this was a weekend, after all, and life didn’t have to stop entirely. He found it easier to put his doubts aside when he was within sight of Ogawa’s apartment.

“I can’t stay,” he said when they pulled apart from their greeting kiss, still pressed together, Ogawa’s hand still in his hair, and he could have kicked himself. That’s what he started with? “What I mean is, we’re training first thing tomorrow morning, so I can’t stay overnight.” 

Ogawa made a noise of understanding, too short for Hayata to read anything else into the tone. “But you still want to wear it?”

“Is it not safe? I should have asked.”

“It’s safe, don’t worry. You can wear it during matches if you want.” Hayata opened his mouth and Ogawa held up a hand, grinning. “I think that counts as outside interference even if no one knows about it, so let’s not.”

“Then if it’s safe, yes, I still want to wear it. Now that the shows have been pushed back we have to keep active, but… this is separate. I want to try again.”

“Hm.” Ogawa nodded for a long moment. “Lucky for Ratels that you get more time to fool yourselves into thinking you can take the titles that belong to Stinger. It won’t be enough.”

This again. Hayata scoffed. “It won’t be a challenge, but I also didn’t come here to talk about work.”

“No, you came here so I can put you in a cage that keeps you from sleeping with your husband. How silly of me to forget.”

“That’s not--” He realized he was blushing and cut himself off to take a breath. “That’s not why. You know that.”

“I know.” The grin was sudden and bright, and Hayata’s embarrassment eased. “Do you want to put it on now, or wait?”

“It’s… it’s up to you, it’s your key.”

“When did you last…” He raised an eyebrow, his meaning clear.

“Last night.” Hayata paused. “Is that bad?”

“No, not at all. It’s just a question.” Ogawa chuckled. “Not everything is a test, I can just be curious. If it were longer ago, I would wait until you came now, to take the edge off. But last night is fine, right?”

He could say not everything was a test, but this still felt like a question with a definite right answer.

“If that’s what you want, then yes.”

Something flashed across Ogawa’s face and Hayata knew he’d guessed correctly. He wasn’t sure it _was_ fine; just talking about it had gotten to him, and after traveling so far he wanted more than to be locked up. But it was a challenge he would accept.

“How long do you want to wear it this time?”

It was a good question. Longer than last time, but how long?

“Is there anything I need to know if I wear it for more than a few days? Keeping it clean, will it rust, things like that.” Ogawa looked impressed by the question, which was interesting. But he gave him advice and reassurances, and Hayata came to a decision.

“Maybe a week. I… I might give up, but I want to try a week. So from now until Saturday.”

“Ah, you want to be free on Sunday for the match you’re not having?” Hayata rolled his eyes as Ogawa winked, but he wasn’t exactly wrong. “That’s fine. Let me get it, then.”

The next week was difficult. He and Yo-Hey kept training, keeping themselves in condition, and sometimes Harada and Tadasuke joined them. Hayata preferred those days, when it was harder to get distracted by the feel of Yo-Hey’s body against his own and he had an excuse to go home alone and exhausted. It was a strange feeling, being turned on but unable to get hard. Still, he imagined this was easier than trying to abstain on his own; there was less to keep his hands away from. It occurred to him that he was lucky Ogawa hadn’t suggested he wear a plug. It also occurred to him that thinking of it in the first place might mean he was more interested in the idea than he admitted, and he quickly closed that train of thought.

More than once he had to turn down Yo-Hey’s late-night invitations, or redirect them into sexting, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Here he was with no shows to rest for and a partner within easy distance, and he was locked up for a rival five hundred kilometers away. But he comforted himself that he wasn’t distant from Yo-Hey; they had lunch together, trained together, texted almost every day. And they still kissed, casually and even at length, though Hayata had to become skilled at rerouting Yo-Hey’s attempts to escalate. It was just one thing they weren’t doing, out of their whole relationship. Surely that was all right?

In the end, he lasted the whole week. At first he’d imagined himself texting Ogawa early, asking to be released, but every time he thought of that he became more determined. He’d asked for this, and he wasn’t going to give up. Saturday morning he got a message: _Pack to stay overnight._ That would be cutting it close, since he’d have to leave early on Sunday to get enough time with Yo-Hey on what should have been the day of their big victory, but after this week of restraint he was more than willing to let go for one night.

Ogawa was calm when he opened the door, and gave no indication that he was in any hurry to get Hayata out of his clothes, let alone out of the cage. It was fine. Hayata could play along. They shared tea, then sake, making small talk for what felt like an hour before Ogawa stood up. “You want me to take it off now?”

Hayata bit back his impatient response and hoped Ogawa either didn’t notice, or admired his restraint. “Yes. Please, I’d like that.”

He followed Ogawa to the bedroom and lay down where he was directed, shimmying out of his jeans and kicking them off before Ogawa could retrieve the key. Without the cage he would have been hard even under normal circumstances, just from the anticipation, but with it he could barely keep from cupping himself through his underwear and tracing around the holes in the silicone for something, anything, that felt like stimulation. Hands in fists at his sides, he could be patient. He didn’t really have a choice.

Ogawa pulled his underwear down carefully, doing all he could to avoid jostling Hayata’s cock as if it mattered, as if he could feel it, and then finally - _finally_ \- inserted the key and disassembled the cage to remove it. Patience, Hayata reminded himself, and found it easier to sink into an accepting state. Hard, aching, desperate, he waited for Ogawa’s next move, and was not disappointed.

* * *

He was too worn out to check his phone until after breakfast, but luckily he hadn’t missed anything urgent. He would be home by lunch and he and Yo-Hey would have the rest of the day and night, even if he wasn’t sure he would be up for much after the night he’d just had. He’d find a way. No matter what Ogawa said, he and Yo-Hey _would_ be taking the tag titles from Stinger, whenever the match ended up being rescheduled. This celebration might be a little early, but it was justified.

“I want to try something new next time, tell me what you think.”

Hayata paused in gathering his clothes and looked up at Ogawa, standing by the door. Next time already?

“Don’t worry, it won’t interfere with your plans for today. In fact, it would give you more flexibility, instead of having to turn him down for a week at a time.”

Naturally Ogawa cut to the heart of the matter. If he were single, waiting to be unlocked would only be a matter of self-control, but pushing Yo-Hey away was more difficult and hadn’t been part of the original plan. Of course Ogawa would have noticed this; he knew as well as Hayata how determined Yo-Hey could be, and how much attention he needed to thrive. It was doubtful he minded cutting off the source of that attention, but he knew Hayata didn’t want to.

“This cage has two keys. So far I’ve only used one, but there’s another option. What I would like to do is give you the other key, with the cage, and set you a schedule of when to wear it. Then you can work around that, instead of having to travel every time.”

“I don’t mind traveling,” Hayata objected, but Ogawa shook his head. “It’s not the best idea right now. I’m not trying to restrict you, I’m trying to stop the spread of a virus. I’ve been in the dojo, I know all the precautions they’re trying to put in place so they can have more shows. If it’s a bad idea to travel up and down the country anyway, this is my suggestion to keep things… interesting.”

It hurt to admit, but he had a point. Hayata himself had been worrying. “So you just… give me the cage? And I put it on myself?”

“Right, but not randomly. I’d give you a schedule. Let’s say… if we decided you’d wear it for multiple days, or just every other day.” Every other day was barely a challenge, Hayata wanted to point out, but Ogawa continued. “The catch is, if it’s a day when you’re wearing it, even though you have the key, you wouldn’t be allowed to take it off. You’d still have to make adjustments like you do now. But I’d be relying on you to do the right thing, not just take it off if you have a date.”

A grin spread across Hayata’s face as he realized the appeal. It would be harder this way, not easier. It would be up to him to hide the key from himself, rather than giving in to temptation.

“And you’d trust me to do that?”

“Are you telling me I shouldn’t trust you?”

“No!” Hayata scowled. “I’m asking if you do. How could you be sure I’m not cheating and just telling you I’m wearing it?”

“Firstly, because you clearly like wearing it. I don’t know if you think that’s a secret, but it’s not. This isn’t something I’m imposing on you. And secondly, I’d want you to send me a picture when the schedule has you locked up. I’d accept that as proof.”

“Let me think for a minute.” Hayata finished collecting his things and stuffed them in his overnight bag, going over the proposal in his mind. He was a little embarrassed to learn it was so obvious he liked the idea of being locked up, no matter how difficult it was. He hadn’t expected to appreciate the challenge this much, and also hadn’t anticipated how overwhelming it would be to be touched after a week of enforced celibacy. But being in charge of himself… the temptation might be too much. But he could stick to his workout regimen even when he wanted a day off, so he could do this too. Or at least try.

“OK.” He stood up and nodded to Ogawa. “Let’s do it, then. But you’ll have to show me how to put it on, and I don’t mean that as flirting. I don’t want to pinch myself.”

“Fair enough,” Ogawa laughed. “I’ll show you. Is every other day good, or would you prefer a block of days, the way you’ve been doing?”

“Every other day, I think. I might change my mind, but I’ll ask first.” 

“Good, then. Let’s say… not today, obviously, and presumably you’ll spend the night together, yes? So not tomorrow either. But starting the day after tomorrow, I want you to wear it every other day. You can choose the timing, whether you put it on before you go to bed or when you wake up, whatever’s more comfortable. But I’m counting on you not to cheat just because you’re not wearing it. Treat each scheduled day as a day when you’re not allowed to touch yourself.”

“And send you a picture.”

“Yes. It has to be fun for me too, right?”

“So you’re saying I should send you pictures on days I’m not wearing it, too?”

Ogawa laughed at that, his shoulders shaking. “That’s not what I’m saying, but I can’t say I’d object either.”

More instructions and a goodbye kiss later, Hayata left for home with a new box in his bag. It hadn’t been difficult to operate, though the angle was awkward when looking down. But it would get easier with practice, no doubt.

And it did. He decided from the start to go all the way in terms of timing - he locked himself up before going to bed, kept it on the next day and night, and freed himself the next morning. The only exceptions were the nights he spent with Yo-Hey, in which case he snuck to the bathroom in the morning to put the cage on and avoid temptation. In a few days he could disassemble it without even looking down, though it took a few more to find an angle that didn’t make the pictures look ridiculous.

But unfortunately, once he became used to the routine it was easier to be careless. To trust too much in his own guile and create unnecessary risks. And so, nearly a month since he’d first been locked into the cage, he found himself in Yo-Hey’s apartment when he shouldn’t be, trying to avoid contact he took for granted from Ogawa. Even after extricating himself from his position on Yo-Hey’s lap, he could tell the evening would continue to be a struggle.

Yo-Hey chose Luigi, glancing at Hayata like he’d gained a great victory already. “What will you give me when I beat you?”

“Flowers,” Hayata responded, his eyes not moving from the screen.

“Flowers! Is that any gift for a wife to give his husband? That’s my job!”

“OK,” Hayata conceded. “You can give me flowers when I win.”

“Well, I can think of better presents.” Yo-Hey was talking like there wasn’t a game in progress, like he didn’t have to focus. “I could give you candy, or a ring. Or a blowjob, that seems like a good present.”

Hayata laughed and missed a block and swore to himself not to laugh again, if that was the result. “I’ll take a rain check on that. _When_ I win.”

“Why are you so--” Yo-Hey paused the game, which was surprising enough that Hayata turned to face him. “Are you all right? Turning down my world-famous blowjob isn’t like you.”

His _what?_ Now that they weren’t playing it was safe to laugh, but this was dangerous territory. “I’m not turning it down, I told you I’d take a rain check. That’s a delay. Just… nothing like that tonight, I’m not up to it.”

“But why?” Oh, and now Yo-Hey looked worried, that was no good. ”What’s really going on? Seriously, are you OK?”

“It’s my ribs,” he lied, ducking his head as if he were sheepish. “I think I’ve been overdoing it trying to train for the Maebashi show, it hurts too much. Sorry.”

“Oh…” Yo-Hey looked thoughtful for a minute before brightening up. “I could ride you. You wouldn’t have to do anything.”

“No, that wouldn’t work.” Hayata couldn’t help but laugh at the well-intentioned suggestion. No matter how irritatingly persistent he was, he did love this man. “There’s still too much… you know, tensing.” He gestured at his chest. “It would be bad for me. But tomorrow or in a few days, if I’m careful, it should be all right. I’ll definitely keep you updated.”

“If you say so…” He still seemed concerned, but all of Ratels knew how stubborn Hayata could be when he set his mind to it. “Will you be healed in time for the show? You were getting better, this is worrying.”

“It is,” Hayata admitted, already feeling bad about the deception. Somehow this was more direct than merely sneaking around behind Yo-Hey’s back, and felt worse. He’d have to be more careful from now on. “But I should be better, and if I’m not, I’ll do my best. I can’t afford to let them get the upper hand!”

“That’s the spirit!” They clinked their beers together and swore to defeat Stinger, to join with Harada in bringing all the junior titles back to Ratels where they belonged. Yo-Hey restarted the game and quickly took the lead, for which he would absolutely get an anonymous flower delivery. And Hayata did a quick mental calculation, realized he would be unlocked on the day of the show, and relaxed.


End file.
